
One of President Obama's proudest boasts about the Affordable Care Act is that it helps small business. The White House website says the health law "makes it easier for businesses to find better coverage options" and "stops insurance companies from taking advantage of you, giving the consumer and business owner more control and making health-care coverage more affordable." Small businesses aren't buying it.
That's
the finding of a Public Opinion Strategies survey of more than 400
business owners with between 40 and 500 employees conducted in September
and October for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and International
Franchise Association. Some 64% of small business franchise owners (such
as owners of fast food and retail stores) believe the law will have a
"negative impact" on their business, while only 5% expect a "positive
impact." For non-franchise businesses the ratio was 53% negative and 12%
positive. Only one in 12 agree with the President that the health-care
law will "help" their business.
Even
more problematic is how businesses are already responding to the new
law. The White House continues to deny any relationship between hiring
and ObamaCare.
The poll finds 27% of franchise businesses and 12% of non-franchises
have already replaced full-time with part-time employees in anticipation
of the law's employer mandate. ObamaCare defines a full-time employee
as someone who works 30 hours or more a week.
The survey also reveals that the "49er" effect is very real. These are
businesses that will cap their full-time payroll workforce at 49
employees to avoid ObamaCare's insurance mandate for companies with more
than 50 full-time equivalent workers. Of firms with between 40 and 70
employees, a little over half say they are likely to "make personnel
decisions to keep" their "workforce below the threshold of 50 full-time
employees and avoid the requirements and penalties associated with the
new health care law."
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